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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — a committee
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — obliged
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — tied together
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com